2013 Formula 18 World Championship - Fabulous Victory of Hydros

The Formula 18 World Championship was won by Billy Besson and Jérémie Lagarrigue in Grossetto, Italy. This is a good omen, about two months away from the season’s main objective: The Little America’s Cup, International C-Class Catamaran Championship, which will take place in Falmouth (UK) next September.

Billy Besson and Jérémie Lagarrigue, competing for Team Hydros, gained a resounding victory at the Formula 18 World Championship, in front of no less than 184 opponents representing the Formula 18 world elite. Bastiaan Tentij and Mischa Heemskerk, also competing for Team Hydros, and who will also be representing Switzerland in Falmouth in September for the Little America’s Cup, finished rank 22 after sailing in the leading group for the main part of the race.

'Our consistency paid off,' Jérémie Lagarrigue declared at the end of the competition. 'We generally took good starts, and we didn’t take too many risks. We attacked when the opportunities arose.'

Both crews - Jérémie Lagarrigue and Billy Besson and Bastiaan Tentij and Mischa Heemskerk, participated in this championship in order to train for the Little America’s Cup which they will race defending the Swiss flag.

'This victory is a good omen before the C-Class Catamaran World Championship' Jérémie Lagarrigue said. 'I see it as a team victory, enabling us to federate all the people collaborating on this project – more than 50 actually ! It’s the victory of a collective working very hard for a specific goal within a high technology competition. However the sports dimension remains very important and this victory shows we are on the right track.'

Team Hydros is a scientific research center applied to sailing, tackling three challenges: Hydro Cup (participation in the C Class Catamaran World Championship), Hydro Contest (Academic Contest), and Hydro Speed Tour (Speed Record Contest). Hydros is willing to participate in actions contributing to sustainable development. The scientific conclusions obtained while looking for sports performances aim to be applied to industrial projects turned towards renewable energies.

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